Liphook turned out in force as the village’s second Music, Beer & Food Festival brought a day of live music, food and drink – and a huge community effort – to life.

Hosted by Bramshott & Liphook Social Club and Liphook Village Hall, the festival was the culmination of months of planning by organisers Nicky and Cheryl from the Social Club and James from the Village Hall.

But behind the music and crowds was an army of local support.

Businesses including Station Garage, Auto Matt, Homes Estate Agents, Bliinx Eyecare, One Six Events, Smart Signs Group, Mike Watson Transport and WDT Alarms helped make the event possible through sponsorship, while the Girl Guides and a team of volunteers pitched in before, during and after the festival.

The commitment did not stop when the last band finished. Volunteers returned that evening and again the following morning to clear the site, allowing the Social Club to reopen as normal.

Nicky said the scale of work involved was difficult to appreciate from the outside.

“It’s difficult to explain just how much work goes into organising something like this behind the scenes,” she said. “There were definitely moments when Cheryl, James and I wondered why we had decided to put ourselves through it again! But seeing the turnout and the atmosphere on the day made every bit of it worthwhile.”

For the organisers, the biggest success was seeing so many different parts of the village working together.

“The Social Club, Village Hall, sponsors, bands, food vendors, Girl Guides and all our volunteers played a part. It really felt like a community event,” Nicky said. “We were absolutely exhausted by the end of it, but also incredibly proud. The support we received was amazing.”

Organisers now hope the festival can grow further and become a regular fixture in Liphook’s calendar.